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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Mason Jar Projects: Homemade Candle Edition

I'm not sure what has gotten into me, but I've been in a particularly crafty mood as of late. I blame the week and a half of rain... Regardless, I have been searching around my house for items to either re-purpose or update. It's amazing what a difference some scrapbook paperand some paint can do to boring, everyday objects.

Mason jars are all the rage right now. I've come across a plethora of ideas on Pinterest that I am itching to try out! But since I am on a budget, I figured that I would stick to supplies that I already had at home, so I figured that I would try my hand at candle making.

I have several candles that I purchased at Pier 1 Imports that have probably seen better days, but I just couldn't bear the thought of getting rid of them because I love the way that they smell. I have a bad habit of burning my candles for too long, so they end up looking like this:

Unsightly, isn't it? Not necessarily what you want to put on display in your home.

I had a few mason jars (I am SO thankful I held onto these) and thought I would see what would happen if I melted down my old candle to create a new one. And you know what, it worked! Here is what I did:

Supplies:

Mason jar
Candle
Candle wick
Cutting board
Knife
Sauce pan

Step 1: Wash your mason jar

Pretty self explanatory. You want to be sure that your mason jar is nice and clean before making your candle.

Step 2: Cut old candle into small pieces

Please excuse my ugly cutting board :)

I'm sorry that the picture is so dark. I miss my old camera!

Step 3: Melt wax in a sauce pan on low heat

Take extreme caution when melting the candle wax, as it is flammable. Even on a low setting, the wax will melt fairly quickly, so you want to stay close by during this process. While the wax is melting, prepare the candle wick per instructions located on the back of the package. (Don't forget to trim the wick 1/4 in)

I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby for $2.69. Since I already had the mason jar and the candle, the total cost for this project is a whopping $0.70! Even if you needed to purchase a mason jar, you can usually find some at your local craft store (like Hobby Lobby, Michael's or JoAnn's) for just a couple dollars.

Step 4: Set the wick

Once the wax has completely melted, pour just enough wax to coat the bottom of the mason jar.

Be careful! The wax is extremely hot! Use caution!

Once you have coated the bottom of the jar, add the wick/wick tab. Be sure to hold the wick upright as the wax begins to harden so that the wick will stay in place.

Not a great picture, but I hope you get the idea...

*Tip:

Place some wax paper underneath the mason jar while you are pouring the candle wax into the jar. It will make cleaning up much easier. I did not do this and ended up scrapping wax off of my kitchen counter with my fingernail.

Step 5: Pour remaining wax into the jar

Once all of the wax has been poured into the jar, be sure to hold the wick upright so that it stays in place while the wax hardens. You won't have to hold it in place the entire time, just long enough to ensure that the wick is still centered.

Step 6: Let it cool

It should take about a half hour for your new candle to completely cool. If you plan to use your new updated mason jar candle as a gift (or if you are slightly OCD like I am), you will want to scrap some of the candle wax off of the side of the jar so that it is nice and uniformed looking once the wax has hardened. You can do this with your fingernail or a tooth pick. I also took a baby wipe and wiped off the top of the jar to get it nice and clean.

Step 7: Enjoy your "new" candle!

I'm very pleased with the way this project turned out. If you are a friend or a family member of mine, don't be surprised if you wind up getting one of these as a Birthday/Christmas gift this year!

Now that I have successfully made my first homemade candle, I want to try my hand at making one from scratch.